Donna Ruff had been working with Islamic designs before the Arab Spring in 2011, so when the newspaper headlines began appearing about the revolts in various nations across the Middle East, her interest in these patterns became timely. Ruff cuts these designs into the front pages of the New York Times reports on these uprisings. Ruff’s interest in design draws us to the surface and how it serves as a metaphor for the lack of in-depth understanding of the political and cultural narratives that circumscribe those conflicts. The fact that her hand-cutting inhibits our ability to read the articles suggests the failings of language and communication. This is particularly relevant for an artist whose family was in the business of recycling paper and whose practice includes book art.